Itch Treatment
There are several factors that can cause the skin to itch and they bring on immense discomfort. In order to get momentary relief from this feeling, people tend to scratch the area. Scratching may provide temporary relief, but it does not get rid of the cause of itchiness. Instead, scratching usually aggravates the condition and spreads it further. One of the most common itch causes are dry skin. However, there are several other factors that could cause itchiness too, like allergies, a rash, excess perspiration, stress, inflammation or infections. At times, the skin comes into contact with certain allergens or products that irritate the skin and cause an itch. Some of these allergens are plants, heat, cosmetics, soaps, household cleaning products, lotions, bugs, insect repellents and many more. However, there are several forms of itch treatment that can help alleviate and prevent the recurrence of the condition: Some of the effective itch treatments are given below.
- The use of a cold water or compress for itch treatment can help to halt the discomfort immediately. You can run cold water over the affected area to stop the irritation. Frequent showers with cold water would also help to relieve the pain and itchiness.
- There are various anti-itch creams and lotions available that contain camphor, diphenhydramine, benzocaine, menthol, promoxine and phenol. These creams are a strongly recommended treatment for itch, as they can help to relieve the symptoms. Using these creams can stop the itchy feeling for a while. However, if the itchiness still continues, after using the cream for 10 days, then it may be necessary to check with a doctor or a dermatologist to check for the problem.
- The use of antihistamines has been known to treat the itchiness, as they contain chlorpheniramine and diphenhydramine. However, antihistamines usually lead to drowsiness and therefore using heavy machinery or driving is strongly discouraged, if you take these medicines. There are some over the counter antihistamines available, which contain fexofenadine and Loratidine that do not usually cause any side effects.
- The use of gloves and protective clothing is advised, to avoid itchiness caused by plants, insects, household cleaners, detergents and bug repellents.
- In case of itchiness caused by poison ivy, you may first need to cure the blisters and rash, to get rid of the itchiness. There are several medicines that can be used for this purpose, although homemade itch remedies like baking soda, oatmeal, calamine lotion, vinegar and Aloe Vera are more popular.
